Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Ric Marshall: Quantifying what is qualitative in ESG

Years ago I founded a small research company called The Corporate Library in Portland, Maine.  The idea was to rate companies based on governance with the premise that good governance increases value.  Today, TCL is GMIRatings a leading risk metrics company with staff in Maine, New York and London. … May 7, 2013

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Celebrating a Hero: Lance Lindblom wins an award

Last month, Lance Lindblom was awarded Common Cause New York's Democracy In Action award.  He's one of the few true leaders in responsible ownership.  In 2012 he retired after more than a decade at the Nathan Cummings Foundation.  Before that, while at the Ford Foundation, he focused on democratic… April 11, 2013

Friday, December 21, 2012

Themes from the new book: Corporate Competitiveness

I'm writing a new book that I expect to come out in early 2013.  It focuses on corporate power -- not only in business and finance, but power in our government and even over the public dialog about what is best for our country.  My expertise is in governance… December 21, 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

To my surprise!

Years ago I was interviewed for a documentary called The Corporation.  A new documentary has been made using some of that old footage and I thought I'd share it with you.  See what you think and look for me at about 12:35. December 19, 2012 | accountability , corporate social responsibility , corporate governance , social responsibility

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Corporate Character

GMI is trying to define the characteristics of a corporation and how management make decisions that affect shareholders.  October 11, 2012. October 17, 2012 | corporate governance , Corporate Power , management , shareholder rights , accountability

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

In the Boardroom: US lags behind UK on reform - Bob Monks

I had the chance to talk with Lucy Marcus of Reuters today about the difficulty of getting corporate boards to listen to shareholders, and the differences in shareholder activism in the U.S. and U.K.  It was a very good discussion with a very good interviewer.  Have a listen. … October 2, 2012

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Dual Class Ownership

A couple of years ago I posted a video proposing multiple-class stock as a way to empower owners and hold management to account. Now seems like a good time to discuss the downside of dual-class or multiple-class stock because there have been some recent high profile offerings that bring… June 20, 2012 | ownership , corporate governance , shareholder rights , proxy

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Neutered Securities

Now that the clamor over Facebook’s public offerings has abated somewhat – both the purchasing scrum and the disappointment over the results – let’s look at this type of “ownership.” Facebook isn’t the first to offer what I call “neutered securities.” Carlisle is another high-profile offering. While different from Facebook in that… June 13, 2012 | ownership

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Citigroup Shareholders

55% of Citigroup shareholders voted against the proposed pay package for the CEO, Vickram Pandit.  Will this impact votes at other companies?   More in the video... April 19, 2012 | Say on Pay , shareholder activism , CEO Pay , proxy , shareholder resolutions

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Say on Pay

Gretchen Morgenson of the NYT wrote recently ("When Shareholders Make Their Voices Heard," April 8, 2012) about Say on Pay and indications that, "some companies seem to be listening."  This is heartening news  indeed but I still have reservations about Say on Pay because, in the end, precatory proposals… April 17, 2012 | Say on Pay , CEO Pay , shareholder resolutions , shareholder activism , boards of directors

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Confronting Power

The only way I know to combat corporate power as it now stands is for government to exercise its powers as owners of a preponderance of publicly traded stock. Self-regulation didn't work and any attempts at government regulation are thwarted or circumnavigated. You can't control a corporation from outside… April 5, 2012 | fiduciary duty , CEO power , Capture , Corporate Power , Government Capture , Money in Politics , ownership

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Interview on Responsible Investor TV

My thanks to the folks at Responsible Investor for this very nice interview.  RI is one of my trusted resources for corporate governance news so I'm happy to have had the chance to talk with them... March 13, 2012